BACKGROUND Spacers minimize problems of poor inhalation technique. However, they are often left at home due to their relatively large size and appearance. Recently, a novel compact spacer (AeroChamber2Go) has been developed.

OBJECTIVE To assess the acceptance and satisfaction of the compact spacer in Dutch patients with asthma and/or COPD.

METHODS A single-centre, observational study with a 10-week follow-up in patients with asthma and/or COPD using any pressurized metered dose inhaler combined with a regular spacer. At baseline, a questionnaire was completed with patient demographics, disease control (ACQ/CCQ) and medical history. Patients received the compact spacer besides their regular spacer. After 10 weeks, a second questionnaire was completed to assess the compact spacer?s usability (primary outcome).

RESULTS Thirty-six participants were included (61.1% female, mean age 55.3 years), of which 58.3% had asthma (mean ACQ 2.88), 33.3% COPD and 8.3% both (mean CCQ 3.05). Thirty-four out of 36 patients (94%) completed the follow-up. Patients judged the compact spacer with a mean System Usability Score of 69.9 (SD ± 11.0). The mentioned advantages of the novel spacer were: it is small/compact (47.0%) and easy to bring along (52.9%). The drawbacks mentioned were: the smaller mouthpiece (20.6%) and difficulty breathing into the spacer (14.7%), with potentially less medication effect experienced by some patients. Twenty-nine out of the 34 patients (85%) are (highly) likely to keep using the compact spacer.

CONCLUSION Dutch asthma/COPD patients found the novel compact spacer generally acceptable, and the large majority of patients would like to keep using it. Some design improvements were suggested.